Respondent uncertainty in contingent valuation of preventing beach erosion: An analysis with a polychotomous choice question

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

卷:113

Article

Logar, Ivana^1,2  van den Bergh, Jeroen C. J. M.^1,3,4,5,6 

[1] Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Inst Environm Sci & Technol, Bellaterra 08193, Spain

[2] EAWAG, Swiss Fed Inst Aquat Sci & Technol, CH-8600 Dubendorf, Switzerland

[3] Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Dept Econ & Econ Hist, Bellaterra 08193, Spain

[4] ICREA, Barcelona, Spain

[5] Vrije Univ Amsterdam, Fac Econ & Business Adm, NL-1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands

[6] Vrije Univ Amsterdam, Inst Environm Studies, NL-1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands

关键词: Contingent valuation method;    Preference uncertainty;    Environmental preservation;    Stated preferences;    Economic valuation;    Ecosystem services;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.08.012

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Respondent uncertainty is often considered as one of the main limitations of stated preference methods, which are nowadays being widely used for valuing environmental goods and services. This article examines the effect of respondent uncertainty on welfare estimates by applying the contingent valuation method. This is done in the context of beach protection against erosion. Respondent certainty levels are elicited using a five-category polychotomous choice question. Two different uncertainty calibration techniques are tested, namely one that treats uncertain responses as missing and another in which uncertain 'yes' responses are recoded as 'no' responses. We found no evidence that the former technique offers any gains over the conventional model assuming certainty. The latter calibration technique systematically reduces welfare estimates. The reduction is statistically significant only when the most certain 'yes' responses are recoded as 'no' responses. The article further identifies determinants of respondent uncertainty. Finally, it explores how real market experience affects respondent uncertainty. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free